Discover the roots of anger and attachment

In this video, Lama Yeshe talks about the two things that cause us the largest part of our emotional suffering, namely attachment and anger, and he leads us through an analytical meditation, so we can get to the root of the problem.

[MrFriscos]

Hi. First of all thank you very much for all your work. Your books are really great. They explain very difficult things in an understandable way (just now reading “The best way to catch a snake”). Also your videos and guided meditations are really interesting and helpful. Please only let me just to suggest with all respect that it would be great if these meditations and sessions could be collected in sections so we can find some specific topic more easily (I mean, for instance, section about sadness with all videos related to this topic, section about Buddhist teachings with all related videos etc). Just only a suggestion that maybe could be useful.

I would like to ask you about the topics in this video because I still have many doubts about how to really deal with all problems related to anger and other difficult emotions. In your video you say that anger comes from “people not doing what we want them to do”. But despite I try to see that in my anger and attachment or even sadness I can’t. And I don’t see it most of the time in the anger of others either. I think we are suffering a really big problem in modern world (or maybe is a problem that has been forever in humanity) happening very frequently in actual relationships and it is a complete lack of honesty and respect between people, no matter if it is in work environment, couples, friendships or family. And when I say honesty I don’t mean people telling me/us what I/we want to hear but about sincerity and lack of lies or manipulations. So my point of view is not about anger coming from “people not doing what we want them to do” but “people not doing what they said they were going to do” producing with this a lot of harm. Therefore anger inevitably comes, at least in my case, because this global attitude creates a huge amount of problems in practice life and generates a big distrust in whatever we interact poisoning relationships with others. At the end of the day one has to take decisions based on what others tell you and if what people tell you is not completely true (if not directly false) problems, conflicts and anger will appear. I think we can see this very easily in any area just only paying a little attention: family, friendships, couples...and taking many forms: betrayal, infidelity, manipulation of the person during a specific time (days, months) to take advantage on whatever it is, permanent lies to get to something... And one step further could be about even more painful situations(not suffered for me but I have seen them in other people) as can be physical or psychological abuse, aggressions, rape, etc that also create a lot of anger and I am not able to see this anger as a response for people not doing what we want them to do (like if the problem was inside of us and not in the person who harms us...)So, how can we deal with this?is it not anger a natural and normal response to these situations even if it destroys us?. I know anger does not solve anything and compassion and forgiveness is another way out of this afflictions in some situations but what if this cannot be achieved no matter how hard you try or practice?

Really sorry for the long text but I have tried to explain as good as possible how I feel about this and I hope I managed to do it. Once again thank you very much for all your work and help trough this and other videos as well as books. Greetings from Spain!

[Lulu-ggzq]

I am an angry person. I rage, at times, in fact. I scare people and sometimes I think I’m crazy because my anger is so sudden and like a volcano. It doesn’t take much to set me off and it feels like it’s out of my control. I lose control of my mind. I’m hoping to let it go somehow. I hope I can change in a huge way and never be angry again. I’d like to be calm at all times. That’s the sign of a true spiritual master, I think.

[pkokernot]

How do you respond, without anger, to those who cause physical pain killing of people or animals ?

[CassiusKlai]

This is a question because I don't know, it's not a criticism so please don't take it as the latter..

So I find the route of my anger, and it is because I am not getting my own way. But it's not something as basic as I want a thing and someone is not giving me that thing; it's someone is behaving badly, to me and to others. I would like them to cease their harmful behaviour but they will not and this is causing harm to myself and to others. I feel angry about that and I am worried that by letting go of the anger I'd be allowing a problem to persist, or at least to persist unchallenged.

Don't get me wrong, letting go actually feels better for me in the immediate present. However, I worry that letting go in that case is the easy way out and therefore the selfish option because it feels better for me at the expense of challenging behaviour that is harmful. I know you can challenge something without being angry. But can you make a good, effective challenge without anger to 1) recognise the problem, 2) motivate a start, and 3) provide the fuel to carry on?

What are your thoughts on that?